How Slaves Pursue the Salvation of Their Masters: 1 Timothy 6:1–2, Part 1
When Paul addresses Christian slaves, he calls them to obey even unbelieving masters. Why?
Mar 11, 2025
Look at the Book
Look at the Book is John Piper's ongoing series of 8-12 minute videos to help you learn to read the Bible for yourself.
Episodes
Choose Pastors Without Carelessness or Perfectionism: 1 Timothy 5:21–25, Part 3
When discerning whether a man should be an elder, be cautious, testing thoroughly, but don’t be paralyzed by fear of choosing imperfectly.
Mar 08, 2025
Use a Little Wine for Your Stomach Ailments: 1 Timothy 5:21–25, Part 2
Sometimes, Christians pit doctors and divine healing against one another, as if relying on natural remedies reveals a lack of faith. Does Scripture support that assumption?
Mar 04, 2025
The Immeasurable Weight of Choosing Elders: 1 Timothy 5:21–25, Part 1
Choosing elders is a serious business. Paul charges us to do so knowing we are in the presence of God, Jesus Christ, and the elect angels.
Mar 01, 2025
Find the Truth to Protect Both Elders and Sheep: 1 Timothy 5:19–20
When accusations arise, Paul would have churches refuse to let elders be destroyed by liars — and refuse to let lying elders destroy sheep.
Feb 25, 2025
Don’t Muzzle Your Grain-Treading Ox-Pastor: 1 Timothy 5:17–18, Part 2
Paul sees a connection between hardworking pastors and oxen laboring in the field. Both deserve to be rewarded for their work.
Feb 22, 2025
Honor Your Pastors by Paying Them Enough: 1 Timothy 5:17–18, Part 1
Pastors deserve to be paid for their labor. They spend themselves to edify the flock, so the flock should spend to provide for them.
Feb 18, 2025
Compassion and the Christian Work Ethic: 1 Timothy 5:11–16, Part 2
The grace of God is not an excuse for laziness. It gives not only pardon for sin but power for Christ-honoring work.
Feb 15, 2025
Why Not Enroll Younger Widows? 1 Timothy 5:11–16, Part 1
When Paul instructs Timothy to care for widows in the church, he tells him not to enroll younger widows in the support network. Why?
Feb 11, 2025
An Official Order of Seasoned Widows: 1 Timothy 5:9–10
Older women who are seasoned in service, devoted to good works, chaste, courageous, and humble deserve special honor in the church.
Feb 08, 2025
The ‘Christian’ Who Is Worse Than an Unbeliever: 1 Timothy 5:3–8, Part 4
When Paul says that professing believers who do not provide for their relatives deny the faith, what does he mean?
Feb 04, 2025
True Widows Are Women of Hope and Prayer: 1 Timothy 5:3–8, Part 3
God shows special care for the most destitute among his people, such as widows without living relatives. How might local churches follow his example?
Feb 01, 2025
Learning to Care for Your Widowed Mom: 1 Timothy 5:3–8, Part 2
Paul had no notion of godliness without fruit. Real godliness shows itself in the overflow of good works, especially to the neediest.
Jan 28, 2025
Honor Your Widowed Mother with Financial Help: 1 Timothy 5:3–8, Part 1
God gives children as a reward to parents. In both the joy they bring and the long-term provision they give, godly children bless their father and mother.
Jan 25, 2025
How a Pastor Corrects Men and Women, Old and Young: 1 Timothy 5:1–2, Part 2
Men and women, old and young are not the same — nor do they call for the same kind of pastoral care. Mature pastors exhort each one appropriately.
Jan 21, 2025
Why Should We Honor the Aged? 1 Timothy 5:1–2, Part 1
We ought to honor the elderly; the Bible makes that clear. But why? Do we honor the aged because they are often wiser, or does the reason go deeper?
Jan 18, 2025
How to Save Yourself and Your Hearers: 1 Timothy 4:11–16
Why is it so important for elders to attend to their own souls? Because as the elders go, so goes the church.
Jan 14, 2025
Why Strive for Godliness If Salvation Is a Gift? 1 Timothy 4:6–10, Part 4
If salvation is a gift, why does Paul place such emphasis on pursuing godliness? Because godliness confirms that faith is real.
Jan 11, 2025
How Is Godliness Good for This Life and the Next? 1 Timothy 4:6–10, Part 3
Keeping your body fit provides some benefits. But training yourself to be godly is immeasurably better — better now and better in the life to come.
Jan 07, 2025
What Is Godliness? 1 Timothy 4:6–10, Part 2
Many of us say that we want to be more godly. But what is godliness in the first place?
Jan 04, 2025
How Shall the Servant of Christ Be Trained? 1 Timothy 4:6–10, Part 1
Healthy pastors not only communicate the word of God — they love it. They both serve the meal and eat it. They are coworkers in joy.
Dec 31, 2024
Paul’s Alternative to Asceticism: 1 Timothy 4:1–5, Part 3
The alternative to demonic asceticism is to receive God’s good gifts in ways that show his worth and lead us into deeper enjoyment of him.
Dec 28, 2024
How to Believe in the Teachings of Demons: 1 Timothy 4:1–5, Part 2
False teachers forsake godliness as the goal of knowledge. And when that happens, consciences are seared and people swerve from the truth.
Dec 24, 2024
Why Such Bleak Predictions of the End Times? 1 Timothy 4:1–5, Part 1
The New Testament makes it clear that the end times will become increasingly bleak. But God is not caught off guard; his great plan holds true.
Dec 21, 2024
The Greatness of Christ-Exalting Truth: 1 Timothy 3:14–16, Part 2
When Paul steps back to assess the truth about all that God is for us in Jesus, truth that the church upholds, his response is to say, “Great indeed!”
Dec 17, 2024
The Household of God Is a Pillar of Truth: 1 Timothy 3:14–16, Part 1
Buildings do not make a church — people do. And God has established his people to proclaim his truth to a world that desperately needs it.
Dec 14, 2024
Serving Well Gains Good Standing and Great Confidence: 1 Timothy 3:8–13, Part 3
How do godly deacons gain great confidence in Christ? By serving in the strength God supplies, they repeatedly prove his willingness to equip where he calls.
Dec 10, 2024
Qualifications for Deacons: 1 Timothy 3:8–13, Part 2
What are the qualifications to serve as a deacon in the church, and how do those qualifications match the office?
Dec 07, 2024
Did the Deacons Include Women? 1 Timothy 3:8–13, Part 1
Paul presents the qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 3, but what exactly do deacons do? And does the office include women?
Dec 03, 2024
Revered at Home, Respected in the World: 1 Timothy 3:1–7, Part 5
If a man cannot lead his family well and gain the respect of his neighbors, he is not fit for the office of elder.
Nov 30, 2024